Vietnam supports Singapore as ASEAN Chair in 2018

Hanoi, (VNA) - Vietnam
fully supports Singapore as chair of ASEAN in 2018 and will coordinate with the
country as well as other ASEAN members to push forward priorities and
initiatives of ASEAN this year for further progress in building the ASEAN
Community, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said.

On the occasion of the Lunar New
Year, the Deputy Foreign Minister talked to the press about Vietnam’s
participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2018.

Deputy FM Dung said at its
milestone of the 50th founding anniversary, ASEAN needs to renew
itself on the basis of achievements over the past half a century.

“In 2018, there is great
expectation for ASEAN under the chair of Singapore, one of the most developed
countries in the region,” he said, adding that Singapore is believed to be
capable of leading ASEAN on the right track and making new breakthroughs.

The diplomat stressed that
Singapore has set the theme for the year as Resilient and Innovative, towards
the goals of promoting and maintaining a rule-based regional order in order to
better respond to emerging security challenges, promote economic integration and
enhance regional connectivity, thus turning ASEAN into a dynamic place for
people to live, work and entertain.

According to the deputy FM,
ASEAN countries support those initiatives as they suit the development level
and requirements of ASEAN.

Deputy FM Dung noted that Vietnam
will take up the role as chair of ASEAN in 2020, following Thailand in 2019. One
advantage for Vietnam is that the country can make use of the impetus created
in the previous terms of Singapore and Thailand, he said, adding that at the
same time, Vietnam will face pressure from great expectations.

Therefore, in order to fulfill
the role of ASEAN Chair, Vietnam should make careful preparations well in
advance.

In this spirit, Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh recently chaired a conference on
ASEAN pillar communities to clarify outstanding problems and directions to
improve the effectiveness of Vietnam’s participation in ASEAN.

The first and foremost task is
to enhance awareness about participation in ASEAN, so that all ministries and
sectors consider it their own mission, thus taking up a more proactive attitude
toward the regional bloc, Deputy FM Dung said.

At the same time, Vietnam should continue
fine-tuning institutions and apparatus for ASEAN work, improve the coordination
among ministries, sectors, local administrations and the business community,
and invest more in resources for the work, in order to make greater
contribution to the ASEAN Community while protecting the country’s own
interests and priorities.

“We have had a firm foundation
in the ASEAN, and we will do our utmost to succeed in our term as ASEAN Chair,
thus helping ASEAN make further strides forward while enhancing our position,”
Deputy FM Dung said. -VNA